Beer in Florida

Shipyard brewmaster Ron Raike moves to new Winter Park brewpub venture

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Gerard Walen

Photo courtesy of Michael Lothrop

The Central Florida local beer scene is getting a new player, but there will be a familiar face at the helm of the brewing operations.

Cask & Larder, the brewpub being opened by the award-winning Ravenous Pig gastropub in Winter Park just announced that Ron Raike, head brewer at The Shipyard Brew Pub right up the road, will be brewer. A spokeswoman for Cask & Larder confirmed that Ron, a longtime brewer on the Florida craft beer scene, has left his position at Shipyard. Here’s the announcement.

Brewmaster Ron Raike welcomed to Cask & Larder

James & Julie Petrakis, chefs & owners of The Ravenous Pig, have named Ron Raike the brewmaster for Cask & Larder, their new Southern-inspired restaurant that opens this summer.

Raike began brewing beer 20 years ago while studying for his Master’s from the University of Central Florida in computer engineering. He realized his passion for brewing beer, and has been brewmaster at Shipyard Brewing Company for more than a decade. He is one of the few Certified Cicerones in the state of Florida, and for more than 10 years has been teaching graduate level students at the University of Central Florida Rosen School of Hospitality Management about the art of brewing English Ales, Belgium Ales and Belgium Sours. Raike recently won “Best of Show” at the 11th annual Best Florida Beer Championships 2012 in Tampa.

He recently toured Belgium to gain more experience in the Belgium style of brewing, which no one is doing in the Southeast, according to Raike.

He plans to work with the kitchen using local ingredients to be a truly local Orlando brewpub.

“It’s exciting to be working with James and all the chefs from Cask & Larder,” says Raike. “I’m really looking forward to brewing the best beer possible and bringing truly great beer to Orlando – I’m following my passion to make awesome beer to go with awesome food.”

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Posted in Beer news, Brew pub, Brewers, Craft beer in Florida | Tagged beer, beer and food, beer in florida, brew pub, brewery, brewing, brewpub, Cask and Larder, central florida, craft beer, craft beer in florida, craft brewer, craft brewing, florida, florida beer, florida craft beer, Gastropub, microbrewery, new Florida brew pub, Ravenous Pig, restaurants, ron raike, shipyard, shipyard brewery, winter park | 6 Comments

Win a pair of tickets to the 15th annual New Times Beerfest

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Gerard Walen

FINAL UPDATE: Roger Brown won the tickets in a second drawing after the original winner could not attend. Congratulations!

UPDATE TO UPDATE: Nancy could not use the tickets. A new winner will be announced shortly.

UPDATE: The winner of the tickets to the New Times Beerfest has been picked. Congratulations to Nancy Reid!

As Florida’s craft beer scene grows, so does the beer festival calendar. Most of the craft breweries here are relatively young, and most of the festivals are as well. But just as we have a few longtime breweries such as Tampa Bay Brewing Company, Dunedin Brewery and Orlando Brewing, there are a handful of festivals that have grown up along with the craft beer community in the Sunshine State.

Such is the case with the New Times Beerfest in Fort Lauderdale, which will happen for the 15th time on Saturday, March 31, 2012, from 6 to 11 p.m. The festival has grown so popular that organizers had to move it to a larger venue this year, and those same organizers have made available to Beer in Florida a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky fan. More on that further down but first, here’s a little of what you can expect at the fest:

A new, more spacious venue at Huizenga Plaza, 32 E. Las Olas Blvd.
More than 100 local craft and imported beers available for unlimited sampling.
National act Dirty Dozen Brass Band will perform at 9 p.m., with local favorite Jacob Jeffries band opening.
VIP access includes liquor samples, food from local restaurants and special beers, including one brewed exclusively for the festival’s 15^th anniversary by BX Beer Depot.
College hoops fans won’t have to miss any Final Four action because the games will be shown on a Jumbotron screen in special viewing area.

General admission tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. VIP tickets run $65 in advance and $75 at the door.

To win a free pair of general admission tickets from Beer in Florida, follow these instructions carefully.

First, you must be 21 or older.

For an entry, leave a comment below telling us what you’re most looking forward to at the New Times Beerfest.

For additional entries, you can take the following actions and leave a separate comment for each one.

Go to Facebook.com/BeerInFlorida and like the page. If you already like it, leave a comment saying so.
Go to Twitter.com/BeerInFlorida and follow. If you already follow, leave a comment saying so.
Go to Facebook.com/NewTimesBeerfest and like the page. If you already like it, leave a comment saying so.
Go to Twitter.com/BrowardNTStreet and follow. If you already follow, leave a comment saying so.

Each comment will be considered one entry.

The winner will be chosen Monday, March 26, 2012, at 6 p.m. using the Random.org service and notified via email. If a response is not received by noon on Tuesday, another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

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Posted in Beer festivals | Tagged bands, beer, beer and food, beer festival, beer festival tickets, beer in florida, beer travel, beer trips, beerfest tickets, brew pub, brewery, brewing, brewpub, contest, craft beer, craft beer in florida, craft brewer, craft brewing, festival, florida, florida beer, florida beer events, florida craft beer, fort lauderdale, fort lauderdale beer festival, microbrewery, music, new times beerfest tickets, restaurants, south florida, south florida beer festival, south florida craft beer, south florida events, south florida festival, ticket giveaway, top beer in florida | 16 Comments

Cigar City Brewing Hunahpu’s Day wraps up a successful Tampa Bay Beer Week debut

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Gerard Walen

Five thousand people reportedly flowed through the gates of Cigar City Brewing on Saturday to enjoy the festivities surrounding the once-a-year release of the Tampa brewery’s Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout on a day that started with overcast skies that turned into a warm sunny day.

This event gets bigger and better each year. Not only was there an incredible tap list of rare and special-release beers for purchase, but several homebrew clubs shared their creations at no cost, and many people brought some special bottles from home to share with their fellow craft beer lovers.

A bottle that was shared.

One cool thing this year was the introduction of some carnival-type games. Especially popular was the dunk tank that allowed attendees a chance to dump local beer personalities into the water, including Cigar City founder Joey Redner.

Going, Going, Gone!

Joey Redner

Cesar Vazquez

Phil “Evil Phil” Palmisano

The atmosphere remained festive from the get-go. Even before the gates opened at 11 a.m., folks in line were visiting each other, sharing beer and enjoying the anticipation. IDs were checked and “21 and older” wristbands were distributed to those in line, as well as maps that listed the beer taps at each pouring station. Once the gates opened, people quickly lined up to purchase beer tickets before moving to the station of their choice.

Heading to the taps.

Kegs of the most popular brews kicked quickly. For instance, the Three Floyds Dark Lord keg emptied less than 10 minutes after it was tapped at 1 p.m., disappointing the folks who lined up too late for a taste of the coveted imperial stout. But there was no shortage of other incredible brews, and most people seemed to take the sometimes long waits in stride.

Kegs kicked quickly.

Wristbands that allowed the purchase of two bottles of Hunahpu’s were gone before 1 p.m., much earlier than last year even though the limit had been reduced to two this year from four in 2011.

The Golden Bands.

Once the Hunaphu’s bottles went on sale at 3:30 p.m., those lines moved quickly in a well-organized distribution.

All in all, the brewery did a stellar job, considering the size of the crowd. Next year’s release should be even better.

The event took place on the final official day of the inaugural Tampa Bay Beer Week, which from all accounts proved to be a smashing success. Cigar City made available custom nametags for the day, and most people filled them out with their names and where they are from. I saw folks who had traveled from all regions of the U.S., and even talked to a man who had traveled from Germany.

Lance from Tally! Your nametag can be picked up at the lost and found booth.

Such representation indicates that Tampa Bay Beer Week – which kicked off a week earlier at the Florida Brewers Guild Beerfest – achieved one of its goals: Letting the world know that the craft beer scene there is thriving.

For more photos from the 2012 Hunahpu’s Day, click here.

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Posted in Beer festivals, Brewery, Craft beer in Florida | Tagged beer, beer and food, beer in florida, beer travel, beer trips, beer week, beer week in florida, beer week in tampa, beer week in tampa fl, beer weeks, brewery, brewing, Cigar City, cigar city hunahpu's, craft beer, craft beer in florida, craft brewer, craft brewing, florida, florida beer, florida beer events, florida craft beer, hunahpu's day 2012, imperial stout, microbrewery, music, Tampa, tampa bay beer week, Tampa Beer Week, top beer in florida | 3 Comments

Last-minute tips for Hunahpu’s Day

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Gerard Walen

Tomorrow will be Florida craft-beer geekdom’s equivalent of Christmas, in that it comes but once a year, there will be much enjoyment and wallets will be much lighter the next day.

I’m speaking, of course, of Hunahpu’s Day at Cigar City Brewing, when the Tampa craft brewery puts on sale bottles of its Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, a luscious concoction that head brewer Wayne Wambles describes thusly: “Pours extremely dark in color with a brown head with notes of big chocolate and espresso, moderate notes of vanilla and cinnamon and a mild tinge of tobacco and chilis.”

Here are a few suggestions to make sure you enjoy the day as much as possible.

Prepare for the weather

The forecast for Saturday calls for a high temperature of 81 degrees. There is a chance of rain, but expect heat and sun. Lather on the sunscreen and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drink of water before, during and after. Not only will the heat be draining the fluids from your body, but so will the beer, and you’ll feel much better the next day.

Arrive early

It is entirely up to you when you get there, but the gates open at 11 a.m. and the line will be quite long at that time. Parking will be limited, so carpooling is strongly recommended. Representatives from Cigar City will hand out wristbands to allow you to purchase bottles of Hunahpu’s as well as another one to show you’re 21 or older.

Which brings us to …

Bring your photo ID

Everyone’s ID will be checked. No exceptions.

Bring cash

You’ll want to bring as much as you can spare. Hunaphu’s sales will be cash only ($20 each, limit two). The tasting room will accept credit cards, but to expedite matters, cash in hand will work much better. Also, there will be so many taps of delicious and rare beers both inside and out that you will not want to be caught short, and there will be several local food trucks on the property. There is an ATM in the tasting room, but it ran out of cash relatively early last year, so be prepared. And if at 7:30 p.m. you still have money, any bottles of Hunahpu’s that are unsold will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Should your budget be tight, don’t worry. There will be several local homebrew clubs there sharing their creations at no charge.

Prepare your exit

Designated drivers, taxi cabs, local hotels … you know the drill. Don’t be stupid.

Finally

Enjoy yourself. The brewery will allow attendees to bring outside bottles onto the premises to share with friends, which will add to the festive atmosphere. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so watch your alcohol intake – you won’t want to forget a minute of it.

Do you have any other last-minute suggestions? Feel free to share them in the comments.

12 Tips for Getting the Most Out of a Beer Festival

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Posted in Beer festivals, Brewery, Craft beer in Florida | Tagged beer, beer and food, beer in florida, beer travel, beer trips, beer week, beer week in tampa fl, brew pub, brewery, brewing, brewpub, Cigar City, cigar city hunahpu's, craft beer, craft beer in florida, craft brewer, craft brewing, festival, florida, florida beer, florida beer events, florida craft beer, hunahpu, hunahpu's day, hunahpu's day 2012, microbrewery, Tampa, tampa bay beer week, Tampa Beer Week, top beer in florida | 4 Comments

Beer in Florida

Shipyard brewmaster Ron Raike moves to new Winter Park brewpub venture

Win a pair of tickets to the 15th annual New Times Beerfest